Rajeev Taranath
sarod

“"Taranath’s sarod pulls heart strings... - Express, New Delhi

“luminous” — The Los Angeles Times

“profound musical skills” — Sydney Morning Herald

“a thrilling presentation” — The Daily, Bombay

Internationally acclaimed performer, Rajeev Taranath is today one of the leading exponents of the sarod. His performances masterfully combine the depth and rigor of the tradition of Hindustani classical music with an inspired imagination and emotional intensity.

A distinguished disciple of Maestro Ali Akbar Khan, Rajeev Taranath was first trained as a child in Hindustani vocal music by his father and other eminent musicians and was a concert and radio artist before he was twenty.

Rajeev has toured extensively as a performer in India, Australia, Europe, Yemen and throughout the U.S. He is the recipient of the Indian Government’s highest award in the arts, the Sangeet Natak Academi Award for 1999-2000, given in recognition of outstanding achievement in the field of Hindustani Instrumental music. In 1998 he received the prestigious national Award, “Chowdiah Award for Music” from the Government of Karnataka in India for excellence in the field of instrumental music. He has also received awards from the Indian State Government of Karnataka for his contribution to music, - the Sangeet Nritya Akademi Award in 1993 and the Karnataka Rajya Prashasti in 1996.

In 1980 he was the subject of a documentary made for the television in Eden, Yemen, entitled Finnan Min-Al-Hind (Artist from India). He has also composed music for several nationally and internationally honored Indian films.

Rajeev Taranath’s distinctive musicianship demonstrates striking imaginative power, technical excellence and emotional range. He is respected for the clarity of musical understanding which he brings to the unfolding of a raga and the beauty of the tone he evokes from the sarod.

The New York Times (April 14, 1982) described his music by commenting with great enthusiasm about the exuberance and versatility of his playing, which ranged from the “spiritual to the spirited”.

Rajeev was a Ford Foundation scholar (1989 to 1992) and researched during this period on the Teaching Techniques of the Maihar-Allauddin Gharana. Rajeev has also received guidance from Pandit Ravi Shankar and Shrimati Annapurna Devi.

He is currently a faculty member in the Indian music department at the California Institute of the Arts in Los Angeles, California and divides his time between teaching and performing.

recent articles

"As I made my journey for the "Maneangaladalli Maathukathe" programme, featuring Dr Rajeev Taranath, the recent memories of his Ramdasi-Malhar, a rarely heard monsoon raga was still lingering in my mind. That rainy evening, the sarod sounded like a stream in the misty mountains.", Account of a musical journey, Deccan Herald, Spectrum Complete Article

"A subtle and versatile mind was in evidence as Pt. Rajiv Taranath played the sarod.", The Hindu Complete Article